Highlands County has some new royalty after a weekend full of beauty pageants at the Highlands County fair. The new Miss Highlands County is Taylor Leidel of Sebring. Junior Miss Highlands is Braelyn Cassill, Teen Miss is Baxley Hines and crowned Little Miss Highlands County for 2022 was Quinn Wohl.
Livestock showing got underway yesterday with the swine show. Bracy Obary showed the grand champion hog, Reserve Champion honors went to a pig shown by Amber Young.
The Highlands County Fair continues this evening with Half-Price night. Gate admission will be just four bucks. In addition to the regular entertainment from Scott’s World of Magic and the Wolves of the World, will be the Commercial Heifer Show – that’ll commence at 6:30 in the Livestock Arena.
Four people were killed and one person was seriously injured Saturday when a couple of vehicles came together on State Road 70 south of Lake Placid. Florida Highway Patrol reports say a van went left of center on 70 just west of the intersection of Robert McGee Road.
It careened across the road and was hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by a 79-year-old Beach Grove man. The force of impact caused the van to catch fire and sent the SUV into a barbed wire fence.
Both occupants of the SUV were killed as was the driver of the van and a passenger in his vehicle.
A third passenger in the van was taken to the hospital in serious condition. FHP reports release no names.
A Lake Placid woman reportedly was critically injured in a Manatee County traffic accident yesterday. FHP officials say the unidentified woman was eastbound on Highway 70 when she hit a deer.
Her car went off the road and flipped into a water-filled canal. She was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Fire destroyed a home South of Sebring over the weekend. When units from Desoto City and Lorida arrived at the scene, they found flames coming from the roof of the house on US 98. Three occupants of the home escaped without injury.
Cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities say it appears to be a total loss with damage set in excess of $150,000.
The Frostproof city council will get together this evening for a workshop session. At issue is more than $800,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money. Staff in the Friendly City say they want council direction on how that cash should be spent.
In other action, the council will talk about whether they want to discuss their pay at an upcoming council session.